Noninvasive Detection of Counterfeit Drugs

Another important analytical area includes the noninvasive detection of counterfeit drugs, through the plastic or glass bottles and blister packs in which they are 

Figu re 12.15 Noninvasive Raman spectra of paracetamol tablets measured through a white, diffusely scattering 1.7 mm-thick plastic container in drug authentication. Conventional Raman and SORS raw data are shown together with the tablets reference Raman spectrum. The acquisition time was 10s and the laser beam power 50mW. Reprinted in part with permission from Ref [51] American Chemical Society. 

As the SORS concept can be easily incorporated into existing commercial, handheld Raman instruments, it holds great promise for the more accurate and sensitive idenhfication of drugs in the entire supply chain. Yet, the applicability of this method stretches well beyond this area, and includes applications such the non-invasive detection of powder and liquid explosives and illicit drugs [33, 53]. 

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